Before Hangout Festival, Lenny Kravitz hung out in downtown Mobile

Charlana Thomas Quiovers said Lenny Kravitz and his band members bought "a lot of clothes, a lot of jewelry" from her downtown Mobile shop over the weekend. (Photo by Mathieu Bitton)

After working with rock star Lenny Kravitz's stylist for a couple of days, and briefly meeting Kravitz himself, Charlana Thomas Quiovers of BackFlash Antiques in downtown Mobile was disappointed that she didn't have a photo to show for it.

"By Sunday, I was kicking myself for not taking my own shot," she said. "I'd even lifted my cell phone, but didn't do it. I tossed and turned over my missed opportunity."

But then, Kravitz stopped by her shop one more time on Sunday afternoon - and Quiovers got more than she bargained for. Not only did Kravitz's professional photographer/designer/art director Mathieu Bitton take a photo of Quiovers with Kravitz, but the rocker shared it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

On Monday morning - her one day off, when the store is closed - Quiovers said she's "still breaking out dancing at inappropriate moments."

In the photo, she's beaming next to the uber-cool, scruffy Kravitz in the doorway of her shop at the corner of Joachim and Conti streets. He's wearing a tight, unbuttoned denim shirt, his trademark black leather pants and sunglasses. His tattooed arm is around her waist, and her hand rests on his famously toned midsection.

"He came in dressed for the concert, looking absolutely amazing," she said.

Behind them is a sign Quiovers has had in her antique mall since she officially took over its ownership a little over a year ago: "If you're reading this, I love you." She gets a lot of attention for the sign, she said. "God told me to encourage people and share love," she said. "I have a lot of customers walk in and say, 'I love you, too.'"

He went her way

Kravitz had rented The Soul Kitchen on Dauphin Street for a couple of days to rehearse for his headlining show at the Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores on Sunday evening. Quiovers said she noticed two 18-wheelers blocking traffic for a while on Thursday as they tried to park in the Soul Kitchen parking lot on Conti Street. She just thought that whoever it was had a lot of equipment.

Then, on Friday, Kravitz's stylist came into BackFlash Antiques and told her he'd seen her shop when he passed by. Quiovers helped choose some clothes for Kravitz and his band members. The stylist was looking for "'70s, earth tones, African prints," she said. "I had too much fun picking stuff out."

Kravitz came in to the shop with his stylist on Saturday, when there were only a couple of customers there, Quiovers said. "He was able to shop casually," she said. In addition to the clothing, she said, he bought "a lot of jewelry."

She was trying so hard to protect his privacy that she didn't ask for a photo while Kravitz was there that day. So on Sunday, when the stylist came in with a few band members, she told him: "I really need a picture. I need him in the shop. I need him to come here."

And sure enough, Kravitz returned around 3 p.m., on his way to the Hangout. "He said he loved the shop and that I have great finds," Quiovers said.

After chatting for a few minutes, she took two pictures with him on her cell phone. "He hugged me, and they left," she said.

"By this time, I had some regular customers in the store. We started dancing and laughing, and then he came back."

As she came toward the front of the store, Kravitz said to her, "Come back up and take this picture with me."

Bitton took the photo just before they boarded the bus to leave for Gulf Shores. "He was getting ready to leave, and yet he took the time to do that," she said.

Thrilled with the photos she had on her cell phone, Quiovers was about to post them on Facebook when she started receiving notifications. Kravitz had already posted the photo of the two of them. "Whilst walking around downtown Mobile, AL, I discovered this beautiful lady Charlana and her shop Backflash Antiques. Now off to The Hangout Festival," he wrote.

"He was so laid back," said Quiovers, who certainly looks relaxed and comfortable in his presence. "I didn't feel nervous around him at all. It was a beautiful moment."